Recontextualizing Japanese vintage clothing and techniques in a modern way

Finding the right vintage item can be tedious and less-than fruitful, you may love the effect of fading but dislike the fit or any litany of issues. Kuon aims to do good in the world wherever it can using clothing as their platform.

Started in 2016, designers Arata Fujiwara and Shinichiro Ishibashi recontextualize vintage clothing in a modern way. Choosing to stray from fashion’s usual emphasis on mass production and intentionally employing meticulous traditional techniques to craft and dye their clothing such as natural Japanese indigo (aizome) and mud dye (dorozome), sashiko stitching and textiles and of course boro patchwork. A favorite of theirs is also sakiori, achieved by using recycled garments or fabrics, deconstructing them and painstakingly weaving them in with cotton threads either to accent a garment or create one from scratch.

Through their expertise and appreciation of vintage garments, Kuon continues to sustainably craft clothing that one can keep in their wardrobe and only grow more attached to over time.